25 Greatest Cult TV Shows Ever

25. Beauty and the Beast

(1987–1990, CBS)

Premise: An inquisitive young assistant district attorney (Linda Hamilton) discovers a wondrous, secret world beneath New York City and falls for the stoic, sweet Vincent (Ron Perlman), that world's beastly protector.
Why it's cult: Vaguely supernatural, entirely romantic: Beauty was Twilight, 20 years ahead of its time. And the small but devoted fan base loved it to death (i.e., cancellation). —Marc Bernardin

24. Sports Night

Josh Charles, Joshua Malina, ... | Aaron Sorkin's dramedy about a struggling cable sports program had it all: a swoon-inducing central romance (between Peter Krause's sly anchor and Felicity Huffman's brainy — Everett Collection

(1998–2000, ABC)

Premise: A look behind the scenes of a TV show not unlike ESPN's SportsCenter, staffed by the sort of dysfunctional workplace family Aaron Sorkin writes so vividly. Stars Felicity Huffman and Peter Krause in career-launching performances.
Why it's cult: Canceled after two seasons, but most sports geeks would still kill to work there. —Whitney Pastorek

23. The Venture Brothers

(2003-present, Cartoon Network) Premise: Jonny Quest on acid: The blinkered, half-assed scientist, Dr. Rusty Venture, stumbles into every kind of trouble imaginable — lame-ass arch — Warner Bros. Television

(2003–2018, Cartoon Network)

Premise: Jonny Quest on acid: The blinkered, half-assed scientist, Dr. Rusty Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak), stumbles into every kind of trouble imaginable — lame-ass arch nemesis, ghosts, and hot rogue assassins — with his brutish bodyguard, Brock Samson (Patrick Warburton), and his two halfwitted sons, Hank (Christopher McCulloch) and Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas), by his side.
Why it's cult: It swallows a whole host of pop culture influences — the aforementioned Quest, comic books, Scooby-Doo, spy flicks, and pulp heroes — and regurgitates them as a hysterical bouillabaisse. Plus, Patrick Warburton voicing Brock automatically equates to awesome. —M.B.

22. Get a Life

(1990–1992, Fox)

Premise: Comedian Chris Elliott is a grown-up paperboy living atop his parents' garage.
Why it's cult: Well, there's its pre-Arrested Development eccentricity (the 'rents always wear pajamas, even when out on the town), its pre-South Park boldness (Elliott's character died in 12 different episodes, way before Kenny got whacked by his first car), and its pre-Office quotables (''you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, with the exception of Charles Durning''). Or the fact that it served as a training ground for king cultists Bob Odenkirk and Charlie Kaufman. Oh, and its theme song: R.E.M.'s ''Stand.'' —Aubry D'Arminio

21. Police Squad

(1982, ABC)

Premise: Taking a bite at crime shows from L.A. Dragnet to M Squad to Hawaii Five-0, master cop Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) keeps the city safe in the most bizarre manner possible (to Frank, driving ''back to the office'' literally means driving backwards to the office).
Why it's cult: The non sequiturs, puns, and slapstick in the six existing episodes of Squad! (which spawned the Naked Gun film franchise) get laughs even on repeat viewings. And the opening sequences in which a guest star is named, shown, and then immediately killed were years ahead of their time (check out William Shatner as he dodges bullets only to guzzle poison). —A.D.

20. The Ben Stiller Show

The Ben Stiller Show, Ben Stiller, ... | Lest you think that Ben Stiller was always only about Fockers and Museums , remember that he more than earned his keep with this irreverent, — Everett Collection

(1990–1993; MTV, Fox)

Premise: Saturday Night Live skits on way more blow, with twice the talent of MADtv, and from the nascent comedy minds of Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow (who took home Emmys after the show was canceled).
Why it's cult: Where else would you see unknowns Stiller, Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo, and Bob Odenkirk testing out their Tom Cruise spoofs and Eddie Munster interpretations? —A.D.

19. Mystery Science Theater 3000

Mystery Science Theater 3000 | (1988-1999, Comedy Central, Sci Fi) Premise: Crow T. Robot was made of a lacrosse facemask, a plastic bowling pin, and a soap dish. Tom Servo's — Everett Collection

(1988–1999, 2017–present; Comedy Central, Syfy, Netflix, Gizmoplex)

Premise: Crow T. Robot was made of a lacrosse facemask, a plastic bowling pin, and a soap dish. Tom Servo's basic parts were a bubblegum machine, a penny bank, and a flashlight. But together, with creator Joel Hodgson (just a guy in a red jumpsuit), they gave the 1990s the perfect postmodern comedy.
Why it's cult: MST3K codified that which every geek does in their spare time: the right way to mercilessly lampoon horrible movies — with wicked smart friends. It made being a geek a communal experience. —Benjamin Svetkey

18. The Comeback

The Comeback, Lisa Kudrow | THE COMEBACK PREMIERED June 5, 2005 THE SCOOP It may have only lasted for 13 episodes, but this scathing portrayal of Hollywood's desperate underbelly became — John P. Johnson/ HBO

(2005, 2014; HBO)

Premise: Erstwhile TV star Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) suffers humiliation after hilarious humiliation while trying to revive her career with a role on a boring network sitcom, Room & Bored, and a reality series chronicling her return to the airwaves.
Why it's cult: Quite possibly one of the most scathing takes on Hollywood and celebrity culture in TV history, The Comeback features a ferociously committed, Emmy-nominated performance by Kudrow, and dozens of quotable quips that the show's fans continue to spout to this very day. All together now: ''Note to self: After a long day at work, I don't wanna see that!'' —Michael Slezak

17. Chuck

Zachary Levi, Chuck, ... | (2007-present, NBC) Premise: Geeky underachiever Chuck Bartowski is unwittingly imprinted with the Intersect (a sort of international espionage database), and thrust into the a life — Chris Haston/ NBC

(2007–2012, NBC)

Premise: Geeky underachiever Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) is unwittingly imprinted with the Intersect (a sort of international espionage database), and thrust into a life of fighting crime — while still working at the local BuyMore.
Why it's cult: The nerd-out-of-water humor isn't for everyone, but the outlandish supporting cast (long live Jeffster!) inspires utter devotion. How devoted? Fans descended upon local Subways and left pleas for renewal in the suggestion boxes. And guess who signed on as a sponsor for season 3? —W.P.

16. The Wire

The Wire | The deft writing — which used the cop genre format to give shape to creator David Simon's scathing social critiques — was matched by one — Paul Schiraldi

(2002–2008, HBO)

Premise: Baltimore police wage war on drugs. Also, America is broken.
Why it's cult: With dozens of interweaving plots, The Wire redefined dizzying narrative complexity for the DVR age. So the audience was always tiny. But fans experienced a place and time — Baltimore, 21st century — rendered with video game precision. From Mad Men to Heroes, all modern serialized shows live in this masterwork's long shadow. —Darren Franich

15. Pushing Daisies

(2007–2009, ABC)

Premise: Sweet-faced pie maker Ned (Lee Pace) can temporarily revive the dead with the touch of a finger.
Why it's cult: Take a base of a detective thriller (Ned uses his powers to help a cranky detective solve murders), add a dash of comedy (said detective knits), a bit of romance (Kristin Chenoweth's waitress Olive crushes on Ned, but Ned loves Anna Friel's back-from-the-grave childhood sweetheart Chuck), a sprinkle of drama (if Ned touches Chuck again, she'll re-die), and a never-before-seen-on-TV candy-coated mise-en-scène. And, voila, you have Daisies! —A.D.

14. Profit

(1996, Fox)

Premise: Corporate genius Jim Profit (Adrian Pasdar) wiles away the hours trying to gain control of Gracen & Gracen, and if he can destroy the lives of his rivals while doing it, all the better!
Why it's cult: While the series' pitch-black tone and unapologetic antihero might've caught on with audiences today, back in 1996, it was good for only eight episodes. Still, the weekly image of Profit laying his head to rest inside a G&G cardboard box — a leftover habit from his disturbing childhood — remains emblazoned in our heads years later. Good, if grim, stuff! —M.S.

13. Veronica Mars

Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars | (2004-2007; UPN, The CW) Premise: Veronica (Kristen Bell) is a hardboiled high-school gumshoe who employs snark, her ever-present Sidekick, and a stun gun to help — Dalia De La O/ CBS

(2004–2007, 2019; UPN, The CW, Hulu)

Premise: Veronica (Kristen Bell) is a hardboiled high school gumshoe who employs snark, her ever-present Sidekick, and a stun gun to help her private detective father (Enrico Colantoni) solve crimes in seedy Neptune, Calif.
Why it's cult: Series creator Rob Thomas' canny take on teen angst was boldly original, borrowing more from Raymond Chandler than Aaron Spelling, with Bell cast as a 21st-century Philip Marlowe. At turns goofy (Bell has a way with one-liners) and surprisingly gritty (in season 1, Veronica sets out to solve her own rape and the murder of her best friend) Mars won critical praise and a rabid fan base...who mailed thousands of Mars candy bars to the CW to protest the show's 2007 cancellation. And, luckily, their hard work paid off, as Hulu picked up the series for a 2019 revival season. —Chad Schlegel

12. The Tick

The Tick (1986-present) Who else could dispense mighty blue justice with a dude dressed like a moth at his side? — 20th Television

(1994–1997, Fox)

Premise: A big, blue nigh-invulnerable lunkhead named the Tick patrols the City, battling villains like El Seed, Chairface Chippendale, and the Breadmaster, and making life difficult for his live-in sidekick, Arthur.
Why it's cult: It sits alongside Pee-wee's Playhouse, Looney Tunes, and The Magic Garden as one of the more subversive kids shows ever put on TV. Its silliness — overseen by Ben Edlund, who created the Tick comic book and went on to write some particularly inspired episodes of Angel and Firefly — made the entire concept of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim possible. —M.B.

11. Supernatural

Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, ... | (2005-present; The WB, The CW) Premise: Two hot brothers (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) get in their hot car and vanquish all manner of demonic — Sergei Bachlakov/ The CW

(2005–2020; The WB, The CW)

Premise: Two hot brothers (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) get in their hot car and vanquish all manner of demonic beasties. With style.
Why it's cult: Because some members of the show's small but passionate fanbase have taken to writing fan fiction. And any show that inspires people to want to continue the heroes' adventures on their own time qualifies as cult. (We'll not mention that some of that fan fiction has the Winchester brothers doing things that brothers shouldn't be doing. It's called ''Wincest.'' Nuff said, ja?) —M.B.

10. Farscape

Farscape | (1999-2003, Sci Fi) Premise: Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is held captive on a spaceship manned by escaped prisoners — including a Klingonish warrior, a — Everett Collection

(1999–2003, Syfy)

Premise: Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is held captive on a spaceship manned by escaped prisoners — including a Klingonish warrior, a blue-skinned priestess, and what looks like a giant Fraggle.
Why it's cult: Because it picked up where Babylon 5 left off: a solid, intricately plotted ship-based odyssey that engaged a tiny legion of fans. That fan passion has prompted continuations in miniseries and comic book form. —M.B.

9. The X-Files

The X-Files | (1993-2002, Fox) Premise: Mulder. Scully. Aliens. Conspiracy theories. Monsters of the Week. The truth being out there. Etc. Why It's Cult: Few shows in the — Everett Collection

(1993–2002, 2016–2018; Fox)

Premise: Mulder. Scully. Aliens. Conspiracy theories. Monsters of the Week. The truth being out there. Etc.
Why it's cult: Few shows in the history of television have inspired so much obsessive cultish behavior — or so much head scratching. As the beloved FBI agenting duo attempted to uncover and prevent the apocalyptic endgame of the Syndicate, viewers not invested to a cultish degree were pretty much left in the black oily dust. —W.P.

8. My So-Called Life

My So-Called Life, Claire Danes | ''I discovered My So-Called Life a few years ago when The N replayed the only season. I was devastated knowing that we'd never know what — Everett Collection

(1994–1995, ABC)

Premise: Claire Danes was crushingly honest in her portrayal of Angela Chase, a high schooler in the midst of an identity crisis.
Why it's cult: Canceled before its time (then frustratingly out of print on DVD for far too long), the show still feels like a personal letter of encouragement to anyone who's ever felt like they could never belong. —W.P.

7. Battlestar Galactica

Michael Hogan, Edward James Olmos, ... | (2003-2009, Sci Fi) Premise: After humanity is nearly wiped out by the Cylons — i.e., a race of sentient robots who've redesigned themselves to look — Carole Segal/ SyFy

(2004–2009, Syfy)

Premise: After humanity is nearly wiped out by the Cylons — i.e., a race of sentient robots who've redesigned themselves to look human — some 50,000 survivors travel through space to a mythical home called Earth, protected by a hulking battleship called Galactica.
Why it's cult: Unlike the late-'70s series it was based on, this show took its apocalyptic premise dead seriously. Actions had consequences — usually dire, often far-reaching — and its emotionally rich characters were up to their eyeballs in moral ambiguity. Also, the space battles were frakking mind-blowing. —Adam B. Vary

6. Firefly

Firefly, Nathan Fillion | '' I remember seeing an episode of it once when it aired, but I hated the intro music so much I wrongly judged the show. — Everett Collection

(2002, Fox)

Premise: Long into our future, a ramshackle crew aboard the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity tries to scrape together a living in deep space, whether lawfully or not so much lawfully, while avoiding the authority of the Alliance.
Why it's cult: Creator Joss Whedon's cast teemed with instantly relatable characters, the story pulsed with intrigue, and the dialogue crackled with a unique mix of old West patois and Mandarin profanity. So, of course, Fox canceled the show after its 11th episode — but it lived on in the 2005 Universal film Serenity and a series of comic books. —A.B.V.

5. Twin Peaks

(1990–1991, ABC)

Premise: Actually, the word premise does a disservice to David Lynch's short-lived but much-loved TV experiment. Ostensibly about a federal agent (Kyle MacLachlan) trying to solve the murder of Laura Palmer in a damp northwestern town, Twin Peaks unspooled as a snapshot of the bizarre.
Why it's cult: No one had ever seen anything like it on network TV, and, for one glorious year, it recast the kinds of stories one could tell to a weekly audience. Grief, absurdity, humor, romance, and the macabre: all found a home on Twin Peaks, and, subsequently, in America's living rooms. —M.B.

4. The Prisoner

(1967–1968, ITV)

Premise: Gilligan's Island for people with brains. Patrick McGoohan played No. 6, an ex-spy kidnapped and marooned on the freakishly cheery island known as the Village. Every episode — and there were only 17 — he would try to escape, often being stopped by a giant white balloon named Rover. Hey, it was the '60s. People did drugs.
Why it's cult: The Prisoner was unlike any other TV show before it: intensely cerebral, subversively allegorical, and marvelously mysterious. —B.S.

3. Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks, John Francis Daley, ... | It only lasted a season, but the 1999 show was a complete original: a hilarious sitcom with poignant drama. A great, honest look at adolescence, — Everett Collection

(1999–2000, NBC)

Premise: Two groups of misfits attempting to survive an American high school in humiliation-rich 1980.
Why it's cult: Because it's basically ground zero for the brand of humor that now rules Hollywood. Created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, it starred Jason Segel, James Franco, and Seth Rogen (among many familiar others) — proving once and for all that the stoners and dweebs really shall inherit the earth. —W.P.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

(1997–2003; The WB, UPN)

Premise: The titular Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a teenage girl with supernatural strength, deadly agility, and great fashion sense, battling demons real and figurative with her band of friends in the Hellmouth-y town of Sunnydale, Calif.
Why it's cult: Mixing pulpy horror with deeply felt drama, kick-ass action with gut-busting wit, exec. producer Joss Whedon created a juicy, resonant metaphor for the traumas of high school, and later, young adulthood. Alas, many could not even get past its title. —A.B.V.

1. Doctor Who

(1963–present, BBC)

Premise: A time and space traveling ''Doctor,'' played over time by several different actors, secretly saves the world from aliens, monsters, zombies, intergalactic drug-dealers, you name it.
Why it's cult: The ultimate geek out: It's old, British, and sci-fi, and has gadgets galore. But Who's really just the ultimate cool, especially in many incarnations of the Doctor, his smashing asides, his lovely companions, and his perfect evil nemesis, the Master. Yes, Whovians, he's baaaaaack! —A.D.